1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a foot drying assembly including a support platform for the placement of booth feet simultaneously thereon wherein the assembly directs heated air over various portions of the foot for complete, efficient and thorough drying.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Under normal sanitary living conditions, people bathe frequently over a week's time and even daily. In the normal course of such bathing, it is common practice to dry off with a towel of generally sufficient size to absorb a majority of the collected moisture on the bather's body. In toweling dry, the user of the towel almost always starts drying from the head of his body downwardly and the towel is applied to the feet last. When such occurs, two things happen, most of the towel is significantly damp from absorbing the majority of moisture over the remainder of the user's body. In addition, the foot and toes of the user are commonly hard to reach and dried last. Accordingly, the feet frequently receive only a general drying application rather than a detailed "examination" with a drying towel for the purpose of removing all of the moisture possible.
As a result, portions of the foot, including between the toes and surrounding crevices frequently remain damp until dried inadvertently by contact with clothing or normal evaporation of this dampness to the surrounding atmosphere.
Therefore, the crevices between the toes and various areas of the feet remain moist for a significant period of time after the bathing has been concluded. These moistened areas, especially between the toes and the like then in fact become breeding grounds for fungus and the like which results in irritation to the feet and such commonly known maladies as "athlete's foot".
In order to avoid the above unpleasantries, it is necessary to completely dry the foot in an efficient manner without causing undue, excessive rubbing of certain relatively tender areas as between the toes where most moisture collects. Accordingly, there is a need in the area for a drying assembly especially designed to dry the bare feet from excess moisture in an efficient fashion without requiring unnecessary and time-consuming rubbing or patting of the hard to get to areas mentioned above. Such a preferred drying assembly should be capable of concurrently drying both feet without the need for undue bending or stooping but by mere placing both feet on a supporting and drying platform after activation of the subject assembly.
The prior art includes various warming and heating assemblies including the structure disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,248 to Campo, which relates to an instant hot air welcome mat. This structure is designed for placement and use outside of the house as a lead-in to an access opening such as the front door. In operation, heated air flows over the shoes and/or feet of the person entering the house merely by placing his weight thereon.
Other structures in the prior art are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,256 to Ruoy, and Wriggleworth et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,089,942.